Frank Lampard has said he is happy with the improvements shown by Chelsea so far this season but insists he is not getting "carried away" by his team's promising start.
Chelsea embarked on an expensive recruitment drive in the summer, spending nearly £250 million ($334m) on new players, including exciting talents such as Kai Havertz and Timo Werner from the Bundesliga, Moroccan winger Hakim Ziyech from Ajax, and England left-back Ben Chilwell.
Expectations have therefore been high that Chelsea can challenge Liverpool and Manchester City for major honours this season, and after a shaky start to the season, the Blues have started to hit their stride, winning five games in a row.
Most crucially, the team has become far less porous and have kept six clean sheets in their past seven games, thanks in part to the arrivals of Brazilian defender Thiago Silva from Paris Saint-Germain and goalkeeper Edouard Mendy from Rennes.
Chelsea went top of the league briefly on Saturday with a 2-0 victory at Newcastle United before dropping back to third after Tottenham Hotspur's win over Manchester City and Liverpool's win over Leicester City.
"After eight or nine games, it would be easy to get excited about being in a lofty position but I'm not going to smile too much," Lampard told Chelsea's website.
"We're in a decent position but doing that consistently over a big period is the next step for us now.
"The first port of call this year was to close the gap on Man City and Liverpool, who have set different levels of consistency through a season."
"We are improving but we cannot get carried away. We have to try to reach those levels but I'm happy with where we're at right now."
Chelsea face Rennes in the Champions League on Tuesday with German playmaker Havertz set to return after completing his period of isolation following a positive Covid-19 test earlier this month.
"Kai is a naturally fit boy so I hope to have him travelling with us to Rennes and maybe he'll get some minutes," Lampard said.
Chelsea top Group E on seven points, level with Sevilla, and will qualify for the knockout stages with two games to spare if they win and Sevilla avoid defeat to Krasnodar.
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Newcastle v Chelsea player ratings
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NEWCASTLE PLAYER RATINGS: Karl Darlow – 7. Darlow has been one of Newcastle’s best performers so far this season and was key to keeping the scoreline respectable. Produced a fine early save on Werner before another cracker to deny Abraham and was quick off his line to claim crosses. AFP -
Javier Manquillo – 6. Found himself playing as a defensive right-back instead of a wing-back as Chelsea’s waves of attack kept him pinned in his own half for much of the match. AFP -
Federico Fernández – 5. Got his feet all wrong to bundle the ball in for the opening goal and found it tough going against Werner. AFP -
Jamaal Lascelles – 6. Stood up well to Chelsea pressure and produced a lunging interception to break up a dangerous attack. That contribution led to an injury, though, and he was replaced at half-time. AFP -
Ciaran Clark – 6. Played his role in repelling Chelsea’s attacks when Newcastle sat deep. Decent game for the Irishman. EPA -
Jamal Lewis – 6. Like Manquillo, was forced to defend for most of the 90 minutes but was able to get forward for Newcastle’s occasional attack. Getty Images -
Jacob Murphy – 5. A tough day for the winger who struggled to make much of an impact during a match that saw his side limited to less than 30 per cent possession. EPA -
Isaac Hayden – 6. Booked for a rash challenge on Kovacic and blazed an effort over the bar, although he was deemed offside. Reuters -
Sean Longstaff – 6. Came inches away from a goal of the season contender but his long ranger effort clattered off the crossbar. Beyond that, his contribution was minimal. AP -
Allan Saint-Maximin – 6. Looked Newcastle’s most likely player to haul his team back into the game with his trickery and direct running but nothing quite came off the for the Frenchman. Replaced on 73 minutes. PA -
Joelinton – 5. Starved of service and never looked like troubling the Chelsea goal. He will certainly have easier days but his lack of goals should be a worry. EPA -
SUBS: Fabian Schar (45’) – 7. Came on to replace the injured Lascelles and slotted well into the backline. AFP -
Almiron (65’) – 5. In the news for the wrong reasons this week after a hostile exchange between his agent and Steve Bruce, the Paraguayan couldn’t take his chance off the bench to create more positive headlines. AFP -
Andy Carroll (74’) – 6. Had a half-chance when played through but his glaring lack of pace was exposed. Won a couple of headers as standard. Getty Images -
CHELSEA PLAYER RATINGS: Edouard Mendy – 7. Another match in a Chelsea shirt, another clean sheet for the new signing. Didn’t have to make any spectacular saves but used his anticipation to clear up loose balls and commanded his area well. PA -
Reece James – 8. Every game his influence just seems to grow. Solid in defence and a constant presence going forward, James was unfortunate not to get his name on the assists column with a couple of whipping low crosses. AFP -
Ben Chilwell – 7. A quiet game from the England left-back but still got himself into attacking positions, most notably to apply the pressure to force the own goal, and handled his defensive duties comfortably. Getty Images -
Kurt Zouma – 7. The Frenchman has formed a formidable partnership with Thiago Silva this season, and even in the Brazilian’s absence he maintained his authority. Absolutely dominant in the air and never looked troubled. Reuters -
Antonio Rudiger – 8. Demoted to back-up since Silva’s arrival, Rudiger took his chance to impress with a superb display. The German was commanding at the heart of Chelsea’s defence – tracking runs, producing blocks, and providing an assured presence. Reuters -
N’Golo Kante – 8. Back in his preferred role at the base of the midfield, Kante was the best midfielder on the pitch, breaking up play and driving the ball forward. His positional sense is just so good and he was always in control. Reuters -
Mateo Kovacic – 6. A more subdued display from the Croatian midfielder who is so often the driving force of this Chelsea team. Played his part in ensuring his team dominated possession. AP -
Mason Mount – 7. Should have done better with his finish in the second half after a lovely turn to create the chance. But an overall good performance from the England international. Reuters -
Hakim Ziyech – 7. A rare outing without a goal or assist and started the game with a few wayward passes, but as the game went on the Moroccan’s influence grew. Drifted across the attack, always looked to be on the ball, and played probing passes. Not a vintage Ziyech display but his quality was evident. PA -
Timo Werner – 7. May have fluffed a handful of chances but made amends with a driving run and assist to create Chelsea’s second goal. Caused all sorts of problems for the Newcastle defence, who would have been relieved the German didn’t have his shooting boots on at St James’ Park. AFP -
Tammy Abraham – 8. Took his goal with cool composure and a great finish but even his goal aside, had a very good game. He led the line with authority by winning headers and creating space for his teammates and was frequently in the box. AP -
SUBS: Callum Hudson-Odoi (76’) – 6. Looked lively during his cameo and was in the mood to cause some problems with his dribbling and movement. Ran out of time to make a tangible impact. Getty Images -
Emerson (82’) – N/A Reuters -
Olivier Giroud (87’) – N/A EPA
